I got sucked in last night, and Gina was great. She pretty much was the smartest person in the room.

As for the show, it's a mixed bag. Most lawyer shows are. There were a few realistic beats; the mountains of paper, the long hours expected of Associates, and the power of the Paralegal. I also laughed about him having to have someone show him how to write a subpoena (I think that's what it was), baby Associates are so cute that way.

I thought it was great. It was smart and funny. Gina Torres did a great job.

ETA: I actually really liked all of the characters in different ways. USA did a good job with putting a lot of depth into all of them in the first episode, even when some characters are meant to come off as having little depth.

Dang it! I hate lawyer shows. Hate them. I hate it when people I love are in shows I hate. Like Nathan Fillion in CASTLE. Hate and detest procedurals. My own personal hell will consist of watching procedurals for eternity. I know this is supposed to be a procedural-lite, but I watched the first two episodes and just hated them. Which I hated because I love him. Same with BONES.

On the other hand, all the genre shows I love get cancelled. I wish I didn't hate procedurals. And lawyer shows. And hospital shows. And most cop shows.

I cannot stand procedurals, lawyer shows or hospital dramas either, most especially the hospital stuff. They bore the life out of me. Castle, however, is on my must-watch list.

Don't ask me why or how it is that this particular procedural has managed to bypass my procedural hatred. The fact that Nathan is on the show helps but I genuinely don't think any individual actor, no matter how much of a fan of them I might be, could get me into a show that I didn't otherwise enjoy. Truthfully, I can't put my finger on why I got into Castle at all. I expected to watch an episode or two out of Fillion loyalty and then quietly drop the show, same way that I did Bones. Three seasons later, still watching.

I loved the first ep and am looking forward to #2, in fact I liked all the characters. Usually there is at least one I can't stand, but this one I hope I have not put the kiss of death on by saying I LOVE it.

Gotta' say count me among the unimpressed. The writing was mawkish with the young guys exposition being handled way too fast and the cape/bullfighting metaphor did not work at all. If what he said was accurate, the client should have noticed the bluff, not the other way around.

Some missteps (like the "He's doing it all for Grammy!" beat) but in general some reasonable performances, some decent dialogue and Gina being fab (and wearing a dress with some slink to it ;). Far from the worst lawyer show i've ever watched (not generally a fan of them so I dunno if i'll start following the show though).